Wear plate assembly



March 23, 1937. F. SCHAEFER WEAR PLATE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April '7, 1936 www/ INVENTOR.

BY v I PM '4 ATTORNEYS.

W/I'NLSJES March 23, 1937., F., SCHAEFER WEARPLATE ASSEMBLY Filed April 7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES 4:.., ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 23, 1937 gr m? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEAR PLATE ASSEMBLY Frederic Schaefer; Pittsburgh, Pa. Application April 7, 1936, Serial No. 73,071

13 Claims.

This invention relates to wearing shoes for receiving and supporting brake hangers in railway truck frame brackets.

Railway brake hangers are generally connected to truck frame brackets through the medium of plates or shoes mounted in the brackets for receiving the wear resulting from movements of the hangers therein. As these shoes are intended to be replaceable when worn, it is highly desirable that they be readily insertable into and removable from the cast truck frame brackets. The shoereceiving slots vary somewhat in size, and because of this variation in size, wearing shoes are made with a clearance to enter the smallest bracket slots encountered. Accordingly, in many cases the shoes fit loosely in the bracket slots, allowing them to vibrate and rattle. This causes the engaging surfaces of the brackets and shoes to wear rapidly, thereby permitting greater relative movements and consequently greater wear.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a wearing shoe which can be easily inserted into and removed from bracket slots of different sizes, and which is tightly held in place in such brackets so as to substantially eliminate vibration and wear between their opposed surfaces.

According to this invention a wearing shoe, the inner portion of which is provided with a brake hanger seat, is mounted in the usual manner in a slot in a bracket projecting laterally from a railway truck frame. Resilient means, preferably in the form of a metal spring, is associated with the bracket and shoe for holding the latter tightly against the bracket to prevent wear of the engaging surfaces of the shoe and bracket due to vibration between them. The bracket and shoe are provided with the usual openings in which a fastening member, such as a bolt or cotter pin, is disposed for detachably locking the shoe in the bracket slot. If desired, the shoe can be provided with portions extending upwardly across the slot. substantially into engagement with the upper wall thereof for restraining rocking of the shoe in the bracket.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a transverse section through the top chord of a railway truck frame, showing in elevation a brake hanger connected to the hanger bracket by a wearing shoe in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wearing shoe; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the shoe taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, of a modification of this invention; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a plan view of the wearing shoe and resilient retaining means of Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a bracket I projects laterally from the top chord 2 of a railway truck frame. The free end of the bracket extends downwardly and is provided with laterally projecting upper and lower parallel walls 3 extending longitudinally of the truck frame and forming a slot 4 open on three sides. This slot is for the purpose of receiving the upper yoke of a brake hanger 5. To prevent the hanger from wearing the bracket, a wearing plate or shoe 6 is detachably mounted in the slot with its inner end provided with a concave hanger seat I. To aid in centering the shoe in the slot and to prevent the side arms of the hanger from wearing the bracket, the shoe is preferably provided at the ends of seat 1 with down-turned flanges 8 that overlap the underlying portion of the bracket.

To lock the shoe in bracket slot 4, the outer portion of the shoe is provided with an opening I l which registers with openings l2 in the upper and lower walls of the bracket. A suitable retaining member is detachably disposed in these three openings, and if a bolt I3 is used the nut I4 is preferably locked in place as by means of a metal strip l6 through one end of which the bolt extends and the other end of which is turned upwardly against one side of the lower wall of the bracket. After the nut has been tightened the adjacent end of the locking strip is bent downwardly as shown in Fig. 1 to prevent the nut from turning and working loose. Preferably, the portion of the wearing shoe around the upper end of bolt-receiving opening II is thickened to provide a boss 11, whereby the bolt-engaging area of the shoe is increased.

As in some cases the upper surface of the lower wall of the bracket is slightly irregular, so that the wearing shoe will not rest flat thereon, means is provided for restraining rocking of the shoe in the bracket. This is preferably accomplished by upright posts l8, at the outer corners of the shoe, which can be formed by bending outwardlyprojecting legs of the shoe into upright position. These posts are short enough to permit the shoe to be mounted in bracket slots that are slightly narrow, but the. tops of the posts are adapted to come close enough to the upper walls of the wider slots to materially restrain rocking of the plate in slot 4.

, and lower parallel walls It is another feature of this invention that the wearing shoe is held in the bracket slot in such a manner as to substantially eliminate vibration between them, and consequent wear of their engaging surfaces. This is preferably accomplished by means of a resilient member associated with the bracket and the shoe for holding the shoe firmly against the bracket at all times. As shown in Fig. 2, the resilient member is preferably in the form of a generally U-shape spring plate 2| the lower leg of which is riveted or otherwise secured to the top of the wearing shoe boss IT. The spring plate is so formed that when the shoe is disposed in the bracket slot the upper leg of the spring is distorted downwardly by the upper wall of the slot. This distortion or compression of the spring causes it to press the wearing shoe firmly against the lower wall of the slot whereby vibration of the shoe in the bracket and. the attendant wear is prevented. To facilitate driving the spring into the slot the inner end of its upper leg is curved downwardly sufficiently to enter the slot. The upper and lower legs of the spring are provided with openings 22 through which bolt I3 extends.

As no part of the shoe extends across the top of the hanger, the hangers upper yoke is free to be disposed high in slot 4, and the seat-forming portion of the shoe can thus be made thick enough to withstand wear of the hanger for a relatively long time. Likewise, by ofl'setting the axis of the hanger yoke inwardly of the bracket slot relative to the axis of the curved inner wall of the slot, the portion of the shoe between the seat and bolt-receiving opening H can be thickened to prevent the hanger from wearing away the metal of the shoe to that opening.

In Figs. 5 to 8 an embodiment of my invention for holding a wearing shoe in a bracket slot is illustrated as adapted for use in a special type of hanger bracket which is found on certain types of railway cars. Such a hanger bracket 26 is provided with the usual laterally projecting upper 21 forming a relatively narrow slot 28 open on three sides, but the inner end of the lower wall is provided with a transverse groove or recess 29 (Fig. 6).

Disposed in the bracket slot on the lower wall is a wearing shoe 3| the major portion of which is in the form of a flat metal plate, but the inner portion is provided with a depending rib 32 seating in recess 29 and forming a thickened portion having in its upper surface a concave seat 33 for the upper yoke of a brake hanger 34. Due to the thickness of the upper yoke of the hanger and of rib 32, it will be seen from Fig. 6 that the shoe can not be inserted in the bracket slot when the hanger is in its seat. It is necessary to first place the shoe in the slot with its rib in recess 29, and then insert the upper yoke of the hanger in the slot and seat it in seat 33. This leaves considerable clearance between the hanger yoke and the upper wall of the bracket.

For holding the shoe firmly against the lower wall of the bracket a spring plate 36 is inserted in the bracket slot where its outer U-shape portion is compressed between the upper wall of the bracket and the shoe. The bracket, spring and shoe are provided with vertically aligned openings 31, 38 and 39, respectively, in which a suitable fastening member, such as a cotter pin M, is disterially prolonged. This the upper wall of the bracket, it is desirable to provide means for preventing the hanger from jumping out of its seat in the shoe. Accordingly, as shown in Fig: 6, the inner end of the lower leg of the spring plate is preferably extended upwardly and inwardly over the top of the hanger, as at 42, where it prevents the hanger from escaping from its seat.

When a wearing shoe is tightly and firmly held against vibration and other movements in a hanger bracket in the manner disclosed herein, the life of both the shoe and the bracket is mais because the elimination of relative movements between the shoe and bracket substantially eliminates wear of their engaging surfaces.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and construction of my invention, and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiments. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, separate resilient means associated with said bracket and biasing said shoe against said lower Wall of the bracket, and means for retaining said shoe in said bracket.

2. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, separate resilient means disposed in said slot and biasing said shoe against said lower wall of the bracket, and means for retaining said shoe in said bracket slot.

3. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower Walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, a resilient member disposed in said slot and biasing said shoe against said lower Wall of the bracket, said bracket walls, shoe and resilient member being provided with aligned openings, and a retaining member disposed in said openings for locking the shoe in the bracket slot.

4. The combination with a brake hanger bracket truck frame and having compressed between said shoe and said upper wall of the bracket, said bracket walls and shoe being provided with aligned openings, and a retaining member disposed in said openings.

5. The combinati n with a brake hanger bracket three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, a spring plate secured to said shoe and having spaced upper and lower portions disposed in said slot where they are biased away from each other against said shoe and said upper wall of the bracket, and means for locking said shoe and spring in said bracket slot.

6. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, a substantially U-shape spring plate compressed in said slot with one of its legs engaging the upper surface of said shoe and the other of its legs engaging said upper wall of the bracket, means for securing said lower leg to the shoe, and means for locking the shoe and spring in said bracket slot.

'7. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, resilient means associated with said bracket and biasing said shoe against said lower wall of the bracket, and means for retaining said shoe in said bracket, said shoe being provided with means disposed substantially in engagement with said upper wall for restraining rocking of the shoe on said lower wall.

8. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a Wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, resilient means associated with said bracket and biasing said shoe against said lower wall of the bracket, and means for retaining said shoe in said bracket, said shoe being provided with an upwardly extending portion integral therewith and adapted to restrain rocking of the shoe on said lower wall by engaging said upper wall.

9. The combination with a brake hanger bracketconnected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, of a wearing shoe mounted in said slot with its inner portion provided with a brake hanger seat, a spring plate having spaced upper and lower portions disposed in said slot and being compressed between said shoe and said upper wall of the bracket, said bracket walls and shoe being provided with aligned openings, and a retaining member disposed in said openings, said shoe being provided at its outer corners with portions extending upwardly across said slot substantially into engagement with said upper wall of the bracket for restraining rocking of the shoe on said lower wall.

10. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, the inner end of the lower wall of said slot being provided with a transverse recess, of a wearing shoe mounted on said lower wall with its inner portion provided with a transverse rib seating in said recess, the upper surface of said inner portion of the shoe being provided with a brake hanger seat, resilient means disposed in said slot and biasing said shoe against said lower wall of the bracket, said means being provided with a portion projecting inwardly of said slot and over said hanger seat in spaced relation thereto, and means for retaining said resilient means in the bracket slot.

11. The combination with a brake hanger bracket connected to a railway truck frame and having upper and lower walls forming a slot open on three sides, the inner end of the lower wall of said slot being provided with a transverse recess, of a wearing shoe mounted on said lower wall with its inner portion provided with a transverse rib seating in said recess, the upper surface of said inner portion of the shoe being provided with a brake hanger seat, a spring plate having spaced upper and lower portions disposed in said slot and being compressed between said shoe and said upper wall of the bracket, said lower portion of the spring plate having an extension projecting inwardly and upwardly and over said hanger seat in spaced relation thereto, and means for retaining said spring plate in the bracket slot.

12. A brake hanger wearing shoe comprising a wear plate provided at one end with a seat adapted to receive a brake hanger, and a substantially U-shape spring plate having spaced upper and lower legs, said lower leg being secured to the upper surface of said wear plate.

13. A brake hanger wearing shoe comprising a wear plate provided at one end with a seat adapted to receive a brake hanger, and a substantially U-shape spring plate having spaced upper and lower legs, said lower leg being secured to the upper surface of said wear plate, said wear plate being provided with post-like portions extending upwardly on opposite sides of said spring plate.

FREDERIC SCHAEFER. 

